Fluorescent-lamp fixture



May 25, 19544 F. NOBEL 2,679,579

FLUoREsCENT-LAMP FIXTURE .Filed Jan. 27, 1951 l FIG.1

/W/ofney/ /N VEN TOR Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICEz Claims priority, application Switzerland March 9, 1950 5 Claims.

The following components are required to-day for the operation of a low-tension uorescent lamp: a series choke or transformer, a capacitor having a barrier choke for parallel compensation or a capacitor series-connected to said choke for the so-called overcompensated switchgear, two tube or lamp sockets, a starter and a means for suppressing radio interference. For practical reasons, the said components are mounted close to the lamp, the following arrangementsgenerally being usual to-day:

1. The lamp by means of two lamp sockets is mounted on a wooden lath or directly to the ceiling, whilst the said components are accommodated in one or more casings which are screwed intermediary of the sockets and above the lamp to the respective lath or also directly to the ceiling.

2. The lamp sockets and all the components are mounted on a U-shaped bent sheet duct, the hollow space serving for the wiring and for accommodating the terminals. The said duct is secured to a wall or the ceiling with the aperture facing the same. Since it is desirable to mount the components invisible as far as possible, not only are the wires and terminals put into the said duct in more expensive xtures, but the hollow space is made correspondingly large so as to allow to installation and wiring therein of all the components.

3. The fixture is made of two parts, namely the said duct or lath with the sockets mounted thereon, and all the other components and a hood which mostly is of trapezoidal shape and provided with openings for the two sockets. After assembly, the said hood is put on and secured to the wall or ceiling.

All the said arrangements have the following disadvantages:

(a) They are unsatisfactory from an esthetic point of view, since the dimensions and partly also the shape of the xtures are positively adapted to the components;

(b) They are mechanically unstable and, thus, readily deformable in transport or erection;

(c) They are relatively expensive, since all the components have to be used as commercial devices with the requisite terminals and lettering;

(d) As a consequence of the light construction, the assembly is unstable and often gives rise to inconvenient humming noises. f

My present invention has for its object to mount a prole duct to a wall or ceiling so as to be readily detachable and exchangeable.

My invention relates to a xture for fluorescent lamps comprising a prole duct of which each side wall has two longitudinal inside grooves adapted to receive various components, and a plurality of holders for securing the said duct by means of resilient elements, said duct in the lower portion having hollows on the sidewalls for engaging the said elements.

One form of invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a part longitudinal section of a fixture including a holding and contact-forming means,

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the holder in a larger scale,

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through the profile duct together with the holding-and-contact means, in the same scale as Fig. l, and

Fig. 4 is a side view of a fixture and the fluorescent lamp inserted therein.

As shown in Fig. 1, the fixture comprises a closed profile duct I which in the case of a onelamp xture is only about 1%" wide and 119e high. Each of the duct side-walls is provided on the inside with two recesses 2 and 3. The two wider recesses 2 mainly serve for locating and compressing the stampings 4 of the series choke 5, and the two narrower recesses 3 receive a starter socket 6 and clamping plates. A glow starter 'I is mounted on the socket 6. If desired, further switch-gear components :for the fluorescent lamp may be inserted in the recesses 2, 3. All these components are slid into the recesses and secured against longitudinal movement by caulking at points 8. An aperture 9 is provided in duct I for locating the starter 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the duct I extends the full length between the sockets I0 for the lamp II. The sockets I0 are formed to provide closures for the duct I.

In Figs. 1-3 an assembly plate I'I is shown which may be secured by screws to the ceiling or a wall of the room to be lighted. To said plate II is clamped a base I 8 made of plastic, in which two holding stirrups I9 are movably disposed. A helical spring 20 engages the stirrups I 9, tending to move same away from each other. The stirrups I9 cooperate with hollows 2I formed on the underside of duct I. In the base I8 are disposed two spring contacts 22, being connected to terminals 23 to which leads may be connected. Two plug pins 24 molded in a plastic member 25 engage two spring contacts 22 when the member 25 is secured in the duct recesses 2. The duct I thus may be detachably secured by means of the stirrups I3 to a ceiling or wall and be connected to the main circuit through the spring contacts 22 and the plug pins 24. The fixture thus may be rea-dily mounted by means of the holding and contact means described and readily exchanged without requiring any tools, which latter feature is of special importance.

The prole ducts shown are of small dimensions, and their shapes may be fully adapted to the esthetic and lighting requirements irrespective of present-day manufacturing problems, and the components have to be correspondingly built. The chokes may best be accommodated in duct I by subdividing them into a plurality of single coils which are electrically connected in series and slid in line into the duct. The chokes then are xed in position by caulking, as mentioned above. By making the duct l of copper or aluminum for example, the heat generated in operation of the lamp may lbe well dissipated, and the chokes thus may be made smaller.

A profile duct alfords a far higher strength than a duct bent of sheet iron into U-shape, and the profile duct thus is less readily deformable in transport, assembly or erection.

The cost price of the fixture described may be relatively low, since all the components, in particular the choke, may be of Very simple construction, and the bottom and cover conventionally used for such lamp xtures, are eliminated. The latter two parts which are no longer required, may cost approximately as much as the profile duct so that, therefore, the fixture including the profile duct will cost approximately as much as a conventional uorescent-lamp fixture.

The xture described is mounted in a substantially more simple manner in that the components are rmly located by slipping them into the profile duct and caulking them therein, and screws are required only for mounting the sockets.

If desired for preventing humming noise, the choke inside the duct I may be embedded in a special compound, whereby at the same time an entirely moisture-proof fixture or switch gear is obtained.

Instead of a choke, a transformer may be put in the fixture, in like manner, if required.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A uorescent lamp fixture, comprising a unitary tubular housing including a rear wall and opposed side walls having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their inner sides, lamp-switch gear components Within said hous ing supported in said groves, flanges on said housing forming continuations of said side walls and extending beyond the rear wall of said housing, said flanges having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their opposed inner sides, and a supporting bracket removably mounted in said fiange grooves.

2. A iiuorescent lamp xture comprising a unitary tubular housing including a rear wall and opposed side walls having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their inner sides,

lamp-switch gear components within said housing supported in said grooves, flanges on said housing forming continuations of said side walls and extending beyond the rear wall of said housing, said flanges having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their opposed inner sides, a supporting bracket inserted between said anges, and spring biased latches extending from the opposite sides of said bracket and releasably seated in said flange grooves and removably mounting said housing on said bracket.

3. A fluorescent lamp fixture as defined in claim 2, wherein said bracket comprises contact means connectable to a source of electric supply, and said lamp-switch gear components includes cooperative contact means mounted in said housing and extending beyond said rear wall into engagement with said bracket contact means when said housing is mounted on said bracket.

4. A fluorescent lamp xture as dened in claim 3, wherein said housing contact means comprises a pair of pins and said bracket contact means comprises a pair of leaf spring contacts respectively engageable with said pins.

5. A uorescent lamp fixture comprising a unitary tubular housing including a rear wall and opposed side walls having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their inner sides, said grooves including a relatively wide groove and a narrow groove in each Side Wall, lampswitch gear components within said housing and supported in said grooves, flanges on said housing forming continuations of said side walls and extending beyond said rear Wall, said anges having corresponding longitudinally extending grooves in their opposed inner sides, contact means in said housing and including a pair of contact pins extending through said rear wall between the flanges, lamp sockets mounted on and closing the ends of said housing. and a bracket attachable to a support and inserted between said iianges, said bracket including spring biased latches extending from the opposite sides thereof and releasably seated in said flange grooves and removably connecting said bracket and housing, and contact means on said bracket for connection to a source of electric supply and having a pair of spring contacts respectively engaging and completing a circuit with said contact pins.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED VSTATES PATENTS Number .Name Date 284,643 Lenderoth Sept. 11, 1883 861,468 Kreinsen July 30, 1907 1,458,153 Shaw June 12, 1923 2,344,935 Whittaker Mar. 21, 1944 2,564,328 Farrington Aug. 14, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 585,320 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1947 

